Chain-Reaction Wreck, Entrapment Shut Down Route 1: Police

At least one person was critically hurt and six others, including children, were hurt in a tractor-trailer chain-reaction crash on a New Jersey highway, according to authorities.

The crash happened around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on Route 1 in Edison, authorities said.

The person was critically hurt and six others were injured when the driver of the truck lost control and slammed into at least nine other cars, according to authorities. The extent of the injuries was not clear Thursday.

Edison firefighters broke apart five badly damaged cars to free trapped drivers, according to authorities. Firefighters removed people who sustained a variety of injuries including cuts and pains to their backs, legs and shoulders, authorities said.

"There were people entrapped in a few of the cars and the fire department had to use hydraulic tools to cut and free the patients," Edison Fire Department Capt. Andy Toth told Patch.

Fatal accident investigators, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the state Department of Transportation stayed at the scene long into the night.

Editor's note: The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office incorrectly identified this crash as a fatal.

This is a developing story. We'll have more information when it comes in.

Tom Davis photos